Behind the Strongest of Men
by Obsessiveangel
Summary: "You think that you have the right to be that depressed loser just because of your stupid curse but guess what? Everyone's facing their own curses. We just don't have goddamned tattoos and demonic transformations to show them." Baek's death had brought an end to whatever little meaning in his life. How much would it take to pick up the shattered pieces?


_Disclaimer: I do not own Tekken, sadly..._

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He could hear the hushed whispers of everyone as he walked down to his room. He could feel their stares burning into the back of his head. He could read their thoughts and judgements about him. That poor little kid, huh? They were making him sick. He didn't need their pity. He didn't need _anyone's_ pity. In fact, he didn't need anyone. He was fine on his own.

Yeah, after all, he had been alone all his life so why not? Alright, maybe _all_ his life would be an exaggeration but he had been alone for most of his life, say 15 out of the twenty-three years he had lived. Sure, for those eight years where he had his master by his side, he had learnt a lot but now that the old man was gone, he was back to being alone.

He had known from the start that nothing good was ever going to come out from his stupid Resistance plan but his rebellious nature had never let him back out. No, there was no way he would have let himself give up on his sole goal in the world. He would beat that Japanese piece of shit even if it took him his life. But he had no intentions of giving up the lives of others. No, as much as he appeared, killing was something he could never manage (unless it was killing Jin fucking Kazama because why not?). Even in the military, he had even hesitated before pulling the trigger. Sometimes he even feigned a bad aim just to save himself from sleepless nights of tossing in bed while his heart and mind labelled him a murderer.

No, if there was one thing Hwoarang was not, it was a murderer. He could be a cocky, vicious fighter but never would he willingly take a life. He also, would never take the death of a comrade lightly. So when his Resistance stronghold was suddenly attacked by the Zaibatsu about a year ago, he couldn't do anything as his members were filled with bulletholes, their bodies littering the ground as their scarlet blood stained the cement beneath. He would have done something, only he was too stunned into absolute fear at the sight of Baek's brains being blown apart as he was killed by a clear headshot. What made it worse was that he had dived in front of his reckless student to protect him from being shot at the shoulder, only for a sniper hidden somewhere in the warehouse to end his life with one pull of the trigger.

It wasn't the first time he had seen someone's head being shot till he was soaked in blood. In fact, it was kind of a deja vu moment, reminding him of back when he was six and his father had just found out about the fact that his mother was cheating on him with some rich bachelor. His father had pulled out a gun, shot his wife, before pressing the barrel against his own head and pulled the trigger. Yeah, in just a matter of five minutes, he had gone from cuddling with his mother while watching a cartoon on television, to being an orphaned kid watching as blood flowed out of his dead parents' punctured heads.

Why his father didn't take him along, he never knew...

Baek seemed to be the Zaibatsu's aim as the moment he was shot, they withdrew their forces, ironically leaving the Resistance's young leader staring at his deceased mentor, doused in the latter's blood and entrails as his mind and heart shattered into thousands of pieces- something that wasn't going to be easily picked up and patched back. He continued sitting there, trembling and broken, knowing that such an amazing and dignified man had thrown away his life for a worthless nobody.

At some point in time, he got up and staggered away. He didn't know what happened to his master's body, just like he didn't know what happened to his own soul.

Eventually, the King of Iron Fist Tournament 7 was announced and although he didn't plan on taking part eventually, he received an invite from an anonymous 'fan' (or so the letter addressed to him had claimed- he didn't buy it since who the hell would look up to him?) and he decided that he had nothing to lose. But he had nothing much to gain. Jin had disappeared (Hwoarang felt that he probably didn't died though the media claims otherwise) so there was really no one for him to look forward to fighting. The only thing he could hope in winning was the prize money that the Zaibatsu was offering to the winner, though he didn't have much hope in that either. Kazuya and Heihachi were taking part in it and experience had told him that going up against the Mishimas was never a good idea.

But it was worth a try.

As of that moment, he had just beat the shit out Craig Marduk and was walking back to his room, glad that he had made it through the preliminaries rounds to the quarter finals.

"Hwoa! Hwoa!"

In actual fact, he had heard her running up to him before he had heard her voice but the moment he heard that it was _her_ that was chasing after him, he knew that it was going to be impossible to evade a conversation with her. He stopped walking and turned around. The ever bubbly and hospitable Xiao Yu quickened her face, stopping right in front of him with a hop. She clapped her hands together and grinned up at him and for a moment, time froze around them just as it always did whenever he was with him. To think that the tough Korean fighter was honestly at the mercy of the girl's charms was absurd and thankfully, he had managed to keep this little crush of his merely to his own knowledge. However, he was sure that Baek had found out. He just never said anything.

"Hey Xiao," he greeted, forcing a smile on his face. Though he knew that even if he was crying in front of her, she probably wouldn't even notice. He was that insignificant to her. Forget the friendzone. He was in a whole different zone- something he wished none from the male species should ever find themselves in. But nevertheless, he liked to lie to himself that he did matter and that if he wasn't smiling, she would be worried. He never quite knew why he did that and put himself at such torments but he knew that whatever reasons he had, they were all dumb.

"I was wondering if you knew what happened to Jin? Do you think he died?" she asked, her smile fading off to a genuine sad expression.

Right, naturally it'd be about Jin.

"I dunno. How would I know?" he muttered, averting his eyes.

"You're Hwoarang. You know everything about him!" she argued.

No, he didn't know anything about Jin. He knew that Jin was a snobbish, annoying, whiny brat but he never imagined Jin would be able to summon an all-out attack to kill Baek. Sure, he would find it believable if Jin wanted him dead but he never thought that Jin had a grudge against his master. The only reasonable explanation he could think of was that Jin wanted to torment him and what better way to destroy Hwoarang than to kill the one and only person that really mattered to him and had a genuine mutual relationship of love and care with him.

"Hwoa?" Xiao Yu said, cocking her head and making him realize that he had blanked out at the mention of Jin. He shook his head to clear the memories and fixed her with the fake smile again.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I was asking about Jin!"

"Ah right... Jin..." His voice cracked and he swallowed to calm himself down. "I really don't know Xiao. I'm sorry."

"Oh." With that, even without a word of appreciation or farewell, she walked off and once again, he wondered why in the world he had ever fallen for her and why he continued harboring feelings for her. He was no one to her, just a method of connection and communication to Jin. He was a tool for her to get up-to-date with Jin's life. He wasn't even human to her, not even after he had made sure he was there for her all those years ago when Jin had gone crazy on everyone. He always spared a thought for her but never once did she acknowledge them, much more reciprocate them.

Whatever. He shouldn't be bothered about that honestly.

He made his way to his room, passing by a few other fighters. No one came up to talk to him. He wasn't acting himself and although everyone was curious (he wouldn't say concerned because he knew no one gave two fucks about him) about what had happened to the arrogant bastard he had once been as well as the old man that always stood by his side, keeping him in place. He had heard about the various rumors going around about him and his late masters, even ones that claimed that he could have killed the old man or the old man had left because his student turned out to be such a disappointment. In a way, he had found both of those claims true to a certain extent.

When he entered his room, he stopped. Two years in the army had trained him enough for his senses to kick in and inform him of an intruder that was in his room. The window was opened, allowing the wind to blow in, letting the curtains flutter in it's trail. His bed seemed to be in a partial mess and if it was someone else, they'd probably would have missed it. But Hwoarang was much sharper than he let on. There was no way he would have missed the slight wrinkles in the bed that were obviously made by someone who had been kneeling on the duvet while rummaging through the pillows and the bedside drawer. He walked over to the bed and looked over the place. The drawer was slightly ajar and in all his time here, he hadn't made use of the drawer. Someone had definitely been looking through his stuff.

His confirmation came immediately when he felt his arms being grabbed to his back before he was pushed face-first into his bed. His attacker pinned him down by pressing his knee against his back, half-perched above him to keep him from escaping. While his arms were held in the grip of one strong hand and partly a knee, he felt his head being wrenched up by the hand that gripped his auburn hair.

"Tell me where it is," he heard his attacker hiss into his ear. His eyes widened through his recognition of the voice. Of course Jin Kazama was alive. Why would he not be?

"Fuck off, Kazama," he snapped, wriggling at an attempt to free himself.

"Your beloved underling- who was actually a man wanted by the Zaibatsu, mind you- told us that he passed the data over to one of you in the Resistance. Answer me," Jin growled.

"What makes you think I'll answer to you?" he spat. "You've known me since we were nineteen. You should know that asking me would be a lost cause."

"You'd better tell me or I'm going to bring you through a very painful death," Jin ordered. He could feel Jin move to straddle him as he loosen his grip on his hair and flipped him over to lie on his back. Jin reached behind him and pulled out a pistol, pointing it towards his forehead. Hwoarang knew that he could try and fight Jin off but he didn't want to take the risk as Jin could accidentally pull the trigger. It would be bad if the bullet was to hit a major vein, causing him to bleed to death instead of dying instantly.

"Just like how you killed my master?" Hwoarang asked solemnly, fixing Jin with an intense gaze. He saw the change in Jin's brown eyes as the determination faded off to a forlorn look of guilt. Hwoarang's stomach churned in part disgust at the sight and he couldn't help but struggle, making Jin drop the gun onto the bed. Before Hwoarang could reach for the gun, the Japanese man grabbed his hands and pinned them above his head.

"I didn't kill Baek," Jin growled.

"Your men did in an attack _you _ordered," Hwoarang snarled.

"You're from the military. You should know that when people die in such operations it isn't because the enemy wants to kill them. We had no choice but to kill in our mission and I'm sorry that it was Baek. I truly am."

Hwoarang saw the truth in Jin's words but he refused to accept them. "No... Impossible... Why did you have to leave immediately after Baek got shot? Doesn't it show that he was your target?" Although he had been feeding himself that all along, it was only after he had said it out loud did he realize how stupid it sounded.

"What are you talking about?" Jin muttered, obviously annoyed. "Look, my target was a man named Kim who used to work for the Zaibatsu and had some important information with him that we couldn't risk falling into the wrong hands. We withdrew after we took him into custody." Hwoarang stared at Jin in silence, prompting the other man to continue with his explanation. "But when we interrogated him, apparently, he didn't have the data with him. I planned to seek you out earlier but I got into my own problems and fell into coma. Now that I am awake, I intend to continue with whatever I was doing. That thumbdrive Kim had could even be used to my advantage."

Hwoarang couldn't give a shit about what Jin had said actually. He just didn't know what his next course of action was supposed to be. He wanted to beat Jin up and kill that motherfucker but at the same time, he wanted to believe that Jin had no intentional part to play in his master's death. His heart was torn, his mind was still in pieces and his body felt heavy and exhausted. Well, truth to be told, he was exhausted- mentally and physically.

"Do you have it?" Jin snapped at him, annoyed by the long silence. Hwoarang could understand why. Jin had known him as the loudest person ever, never shutting his mouth even for his life. But when he really needed him to talk, there he was, lying in complete silence. "Answer me!"

It could have been his imagination, but he swore he saw Jin's eyes flash red. An image of the devil appeared in his mind, making him tremble and shake his head out of fear. Jin groaned and looked up at the ceiling.

"No... No! I'm pretty sure you have it!" Jin yelled, looking back down at him. Jin raised a fist and let it fall downwards on Hwoarang's face, with Hwoarang only managing to tilt his head to save his nose bridge from breaking at the impact of the punch. He took the full punch by his cheek, accidentally biting his lip and drawing blood in the process. Jin growled and lay a few more punches before he scrambled off the Korean fighter, grabbing his gun and pointing it at the latter. Hwoarang sat up and looked at him while he rubbed his reddened cheek.

"Liar. Liar," Jin recited. "I'm sure you know where it is. Tell me where it is! I need that information. It could help me get back at my stupid father and grandfather for abandoning me! I can get back at the world for abandoning me! Do you know how it feels to be alone?!"

Jin's words stung but not because they spoke of the life of sorrow Jin had. Rather, it spoke of how Jin had been so ignorant as to how he had been living. It irked Hwoarang because Jin had obviously not known what it was like to really be alone, to have no one to trust. He stood up and fixed his rival with the most hateful glare he could manage.

"No... Do _you_ know what it's like to be alone?" he droned on. "You had a mother that took care of you till your teenage years. You managed to go school and make friends while you were getting educated. You have a girl who's head over heels in love with you and would go to all ends just to be with you and protect you. You have Nina who would come running back to your side the moment she finds out you're alive. You have subordinates who are waiting for you to rise back up and take back the Zaibatsu from Heihachi. You have so many people who will want to back you up and yet you say you're alone!"

Jin blinked at him. "Hwoarang, I-"

"You don't know shit about being alone!" Hwoarang yelled, cutting in. "You weren't that kid who saw his father shoot his mother in the head before he committed suicide! You weren't that orphan who had to resort to begging and fighting in the streets for years just to survive! You weren't that guy who had to literally fight to survive! You weren't that guy who got humiliated countless times by a stupid rich-ass spoilt brat, even to the point that he almost lost his life! You weren't the one who dragged your own master into a Resistance, hoping to stop the war that was wrecking the world, only to see that very master get shot right in front of your eyes!"

"Hey, Rang, calm down..."

Again, he took no notice to the other man's words. "You think that you have the right to be that depressed loser just because of your stupid curse but guess what? Everyone's facing their own curses. We just don't have goddamned tattoos and demonic transformations to show them. Take your powers away and tell me, between us, who had a worse life? Between the two of us right now, who should be holding that gun?"

"Obviously not you because at this rate, you'd end up shooting yourself," Jin muttered. "Gee, I never knew you had this much pent up sorrow in you."

"Whose fault do you think it is?"

"In your eyes, mine. In my eyes, though, I'm innocent. I've never done anything intentional to hurt you," Jin sighed. "Why would I anyway? You're the only friend I've got."

"We're not friends," Hwoarang muttered lifelessly as Jin kept the pistol back and moved over to look into the fridge. He took out a can of cola and started to drink.

"Sure we're not," Jin said. "Look, just give me what I want and I'll leave."

"I don't have it..." Hwoarang replied.

"Fine, I'll take your word for it," Jin sighed.

A long silence followed afterwards, until Hwoarang decided to break it. "So you're leaving?"

Jin finished the last of his cola and nodded. "Yeah... Unless you want me to stay..." Hwoarang shook his head and Jin started walking towards the door, his hands hidden in his hoodie's pockets. At the door, he turned and gave Hwoarang a long look. "You... you sure you're alright, right?" he asked with a slight frown.

Hwoarang nodded again.

"I'm sorry about Baek... and if there's anything you ever need, even if it's just someone to hear you out or sit beside you as you cry, find me, alright? If you don't trust me, fight everything out. Don't make me regret sending you my invitation for this tournament."

Right, it had to be Jin who sent him the invitation. Who else?

Jin was still standing by the door for a while after he said those words. Hwoarang merely stared at his rival as he opened the door and started to walk out. Something felt off. Something made him want to call Jin back, which was strange because he had never ever wanted Jin's company. But there he was, offering his shoulder to an enemy that really needed to cry. Suddenly, it didn't matter that it was Jin anymore, because Hwoarang knew that he needed someone by his side, even if that person is a corrupted devil.

"Wait," he called softly. "Will you listen to me even if it's the stupidest thing?"

Jin stilled in his steps, not moving another step forward as he turned to face Hwoarang. The Korean felt his lips tremble and his throat constrict as Jin offered him a smile and nodded. As much as he didn't want it to, a stray tear found its way out of his eye. He felt himself slump on the bed as he hurriedly wiped the tear.

"You'd never let yourself cry, just so that you'll appear strong. The truth is, Rang, true strength is not hiding your feelings behind a tough exterior. It's not being afraid to let them out," Jin replied, closing the door behind him and joining the Korean on the bed. "You're the strongest man I know. But even the strongest people sometimes need someone by his side. You're never alone. I'll stand by you if you let me."

"Why?" Hwoarang whispered, his voice almost a sob.

"I told you. You're my only friend... so let me be your friend," Jin replied, placing a hand on Hwoarang's shoulder. "I won't leave you and I'll stand by you, only if you promise to stand by me. You wanted to end the war my family started and so do I so help me and in return, I will help you... Fight for both of us... and fight, in the memory of your master Baek."

With Jin's words, all his resistance broke.

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**It's been a long time since I last wrote a fanfic for this fandom and I've got to say my style has changed (and improved) by so much. I don't know why I actually felt like writing this fic. I've never actually wrote a proper oneshot focusing on the relationship between two men. What I kinda like about this is the ambiguity I made in the end. I leave it up to you as to how you want to interpret this. But well, I do actually have my own idea about what is really going on between Jin and Hwo here and it'd probably be clear if I wrote it out in Jin's POV. Honestly, I do intend to do that I'd probably see how the responses on this fic turn out first (my Tekken stories have never been well-received honestly). I might make this into a full-length story rather than a oneshot... I'll have to see how it goes. Well, see you guys soon. :) **


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